Expressions of disappointment at the departure of Kelvin Thomas as head of Oxford United are not surprising as the 39-year-old was a rare breed as a chairman.

Usually chairmen of football clubs leave their post under a financial cloud or are driven out by a sizeable mob of fans. And the ones in post are usually unloved or misunderstood. Many are quite happy at just being tolerated.

Yet the backslapping yesterday over Thomas’ time in charge was genuine and not just from the usual suspects around the club.

A ballot we ran online about whether or not he had done a good job attracted hundreds of votes and an 85 per cent approval rating.

That is proper grassroots reaction and is understandable given his stewardship of the club in the past four years.

Thomas assumed the reins at a critical time in the club’s history and sorted out its finances. It wouldn’t have mattered what manager Chris Wilder did with the teamsheet if Thomas could not sort out the balance sheet.

While there was some disappointment at the way United slipped out of the play-off spaces, it should be remembered the club has moved a step forward in the table each year.

It is now down to owner Ian Lenagan in his new role as executive chairman to take the club forward and his talk yesterday of increased player budget and improved training and medical regimes sounded positive.

But he takes charge of a stable ship and if Wilder and his side achieve promotion, as we all hope they will, then Thomas will deserve a share of the credit.